‘Biggest summer’ of Lonzo Ball’s life also carries serious weight for Lakers organization

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Can the Lakers coax one or two elite free agents to come join Lonzo Ball and the rest of their young core? We’ll find out this summer, when Ball will be busy working to improve his shot. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

EL SEGUNDO — Lonzo Ball emerged from his season-ending interview with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka armed with a challenge from the Lakers’ top executives.

“Basically just it’s the biggest summer of my life,” the rookie point guard said.

And couldn’t the same be said for the entire organization?

The franchise has carefully plotted to create the flexibility for two maximum-level contracts this summer if they can convince free agents LeBron James and Paul George to join up with Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

So as Lakers players filtered out of the team’s headquarters the day after a 115-100 victory over the Clippers to cap a season that was at the end sentimental, in the middle controversial (thanks LaVar!), but overall encouraging, there was really just one question.

Were the Lakers, none of them more high profile than Ball, good enough to attract the top free agents the organization so plainly covets?

“The way I play is to help my team win,” Ball said. “I am not really worried about who is not here. I am worried about the guys that are here and I tried to do what I could and help my team out. So, whether it be LeBron, Paul George or whoever, if they liked it, they liked it. If they didn’t, they didn’t, I can’t do anything about it now.”

Therein lies the awkward balance between the franchise’s young players, who are on their own plan of gradual growth, and the front office, whose strategy of signing James and George could catapult them into Western Conference contention as early as next season.

“If guys want to come here, they come,” Kuzma said, “but if not, we’re not per se depending on that, because we want to be those great players and we want to be those max-level guys.”

Kuzma, though, thinks the Lakers can make a pretty good sales pitch to any potential shoppers.

“Who wouldn’t want to play in L.A.?” the rookie forward said. “Sunshine, there’s women here, great basketball. There’s so much you can do here, so why not come here.”

The Lakers have only five guaranteed contracts going into the summer and a late first-round pick, courtesy of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The fates of their own free agents, most notably restricted free agent Julius Randle, will not be known until James and George make their decisions.

Josh Hart, who in the season finale became one of four rookies to score at least 20 points in four straight games, said it “would be nothing but great for this team and this franchise” to land a superstar.

But signing top talent can’t be something the current players think about, he said.

“Our job as players is to work like we’re not going to,” Hart said. “To work as if nobody is going to come here in free agency and to work as hard as we can and to get to that next level. … If we take that mindset going into the offseason and work our butts off and do those kinds of things and get better and we’re able to add some great players in free agency, that makes this team that much more dangerous.

“If we go into this offseason thinking, ‘Oh man, we’re going to make a splash in free agency,’ and for whatever reason it doesn’t happen, then we’re just sitting here like, ‘We’re behind the eight-ball.’”

That means the Lakers will be back in the gym after a month away, participating in voluntary workouts. A year ago, Ingram and Randle transformed their bodies. This summer, each player was once again advised what they could work on.

No player’s summer will be of greater importance than that of Ball. The No. 2 overall pick was probably not the team’s best rookie this season, a mantle that belongs to Kuzma, who averaged 16.1 points per game after being drafted 25 picks behind his colleague from UCLA.

Ball missed 30 games with three separate injuries, including the final eight games with a contusion on the back side of his left knee. He finished the season averaging 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

The glaring weakness in his otherwise balanced game was his jump shot. Ball made just 30.5 percent of his shots from 3-point range, and in the 10 games before suffering the bruise that ended his season made just 10 of his 93 attempts from deep.

However, don’t expect the 20-year-old to change his mechanics unless the Lakers force him to – and that doesn’t seem to be forthcoming.

“They said they are fine with it,” he said. “Just make sure I am getting the reps up. Just perfect it pretty much. If you want to be a good shooter, you got to shoot and start making them and that will translate to the game.”

But for the biggest summer of his life to also be the most productive, Ball will have to do more than remain steady at the wheel.

The challenges to Ball came not only from Johnson and Pelinka on Thursday, but also from his closest friend on the team, Kuzma.

The Utah product said Ball needs to “attack his mentality.”

“For us to be great,” Kuzma said, “no matter who comes here, everything is going to fall on his head. No matter if it’s a superstar that comes or not. That’s just the reality we live in.”

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the Southern California News Group. He covered the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is the (usually) bearded guy in the background wearing a University of Montana hat.

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